The maiden flight of Chinese airline China Southern Airlines will on Wednesday land at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
This will be followed by a media briefing and the signing of an MOU between the airline and the Kenya Airports Authority.
The airline announced its inaugural flights into the country between Nairobi and Guangzhou, China, in June.
This is an eventuality that excites the Ministry of East Africa Affairs, Commerce and Tourism as well as the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), which see the move as a shot in the arm for the tourism industry.
Kenya’s traditional source markets are China, the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany, among others. Europeans are aggressively marketing their tourism sector in China hoping to get a slice of China's emerging middle class.
The KTB has therefore embarked on marketing the country in China in a bid to increase the arrivals from the country with the hope that the direct flight would boost tourist numbers.
According to a previous release from the carrier, an economy-class return ticket to Guangzhou from Kenya will cost Sh74,603 ($762), including tax.
The airline is set to become a competitor for struggling Kenya Airways, which also makes direct flights to the city at Sh119,795.
The carrier will codeshare its service with Kenya Airways will provide 20 flights per week on the new Nairobi-Guangzhou route.
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